"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power." - Thomas Jefferson 1820

"There is a growing technology of testing that permits us now to do in nanoseconds things that we shouldn't be doing at all." - Dr. Gerald Bracey author of Rotten Apples in Education

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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Common Core Resolution Signed by East Newton (MO) School Board

East Newton School Board says "not so fast" to Common Core


There was a huge CCSS development in Missouri yesterday.  The Newton Missouri School Board passed a resolution raising concerns about Common Core implementation in its district.  From an East Newton school district parent:




With a vote of 5 to 1 with one abstaining, the East Newton School Board voted to pass a resolution raising their concerns about the implementation of the Common Core standards. 
 
Voting yes on the resolution:  Mark Knight, Keith Guinn, Greg Kruse, Lance Renner and Lawrence Frencken.  Tal Clubbs voted against with Terry Clarkson abstaining.
 
Thank you everyone, for your support to our school board and school as we held community meetings, attending board meetings and tried to understand this as a community.  This is the first school in the state to vote on such a resolution, but this follows other school boards through the country who have taken similar action. 
 
I know it was a process that the board took very seriously, and I deeply appreciate their courage and diligence in looking into this issue more seriously.  I am most grateful for the example they have set for our children, in raising their voices when they see something amiss.  Senator Ed Emery said, "How much better, that it comes from the home of the Patriots!"  Please, if you have an opportunity, write them a note of appreciation.  I am sure they will appreciate hearing of your support as they act in our behalf and the behalf of our children.  It is often a thankless job.
 
Below is a copy of the resolution to be signed and sent up to Jefferson City, for your review.
 
 
P.S.  There will be a town hall Common Core/education meeting in Joplin at MSSU, Oct. 19th at 7:00 P.M. at the Mills-Anderson Justice Center Auditorium.3950 E. Newman Road
Joplin, MO 64801
   This meeting will be sponsored by Joplin parents and students who are concerned about Common Core and other educational concerns.  You are welcome to attend.

**********************************
 
Resolution of the School District of East Newton, R- 6 to stop and re-evaluate the Implementation of Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) 2013

This RESOLUTION was made and adopted by the Board of Education of the School District of East Newton, R- 6, on the date set forth after the signature of each of the board members set forth below.

1.      CCSSI was never approved by Congress, but was embedded in the “four assurances” that the U.S. Department of Education required of governors to apply for State Fiscal Stabilization Funds and Race to the Top grants financed by the American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  
2.      CCSSI was never evaluated by Missouri State Legislators; the people’s representatives were bypassed.
3.      CCSSI was presented as an enticement for “Race to the Top” funds and the waiver of “No Child Left Behind.” Because “No Child Left Behind” saddled school districts with the unrealistic requirement that 100% of students be proficient in reading and math by 2014, a waiver was a must to avoid loss of accreditation.
4.      CCSSI are copyrighted to non-government trade organizations.  We have concerns regarding access to additional information and the cost of such information.
5.      Individual school districts are committed to paying unknown costs associated with implementing Common Core assessment plans, and purchase of materials, of which tax payers and their elected representatives never had any input.  This would imply taxation without representation.
6.      There is an apparent conflict of interest by  our Governor who sat on the Board of Directors of the National Governors Association in 2010, which holds the copyright to the CCSSI English and math standards when the standards were developed.  He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Achieve Inc. which holds the copyright to the Next Generation Science Standards.
7.      CCSSI, which is an integral component of a U.S. Department of Education plan to collect a large amount of data collection on students as well as teachers, could lead to unauthorized sale or sharing of personal data to commercial sources.  Although, it has not presented a problem to date, MO has no formal restrictions on DESE from populating data systems designed according to the National Data Model of over 400 data points including non-education related information such as religion, voting history, biometric data, etc. 
8.      The Department of Education Organizational Act of 1979, the General Education Provision Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind of 2001 each prohibits the U.S. Department of Education from involvement in developing, supervising, or controlling instructional materials or curriculum (Federal Law 20 USC 1232a-Sec. 1232a. and The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Pub.L. 89-10, 79 Stat. 27, 20 US.C. ch. 70), CCSSI and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessment tests coming in 2014 were funded, incentivized, and will be controlled under the memorandum of agreement with the Federal Department of Education.  This seems to be an overreach of the Federal Government into the state’s educational system.

9.      There is no evidence that DESE complied with Missouri State Statute 160.526 2. prior to administration of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium pilot tests.  The statute states,

The state board of education shall, by contract enlist the assistance of such national experts, as approved by the commission established pursuant to
section 160.510, to receive reports, advice and counsel on a regular basis pertaining to the validity and reliability of the statewide assessment system.
The reports from such experts shall be received by the commission, which
shall make a final determination concerning the reliability and validity of the statewide assessment system. Within six months prior to implementation of
the statewide assessment system, the commissioner of education shall inform the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the house about
the procedures to implement the assessment system, including a report
related to the reliability and validity of the assessment instruments, and the general assembly may, within the next sixty legislative days, veto such implementation by concurrent resolution adopted by majority vote of both
the senate and the house of representatives.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE EAST NEWTON R6 SCHOOL DISTRICT

1.      Recognizes the CCSS for what it is – a component of the four assurances that are designed to manipulate states and facilitate unconstitutional federal overreach to standardize and control the education of our children for the purposes of workforce planning, agreed to by Governor Nixon outside of due process while on the Board of Directors of the National Governors Association,

2.      Recognizes that, as per Missouri Revised Statute 160.514 of the Missouri Outstanding School Act, curriculum frameworks adopted by the state board of education may be used by school districts, and we have great concerns regarding the adoption of the Missouri Core Standards/Common Core State Standards curricular framework for the East Newton School District,

3.      Recognizes that, as per Missouri Revised Statute 160.514 of the same Act, the state board of education shall develop a statewide assessment system that provides maximum flexibility for local school districts to determine the degree to which students in the public schools of the state are proficient in the knowledge, skills, and competencies adopted by such board, and we exercise our right to insist on that flexibility.  We have great concerns in participating in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessments,

4.      Rejects the collection of student assessment data outside of the limits specified in Missouri Revised Statute 160.518; and rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purpose without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent and rejects the sharing of such personal data, without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent, with any person or entity other than schools or education agencies within the state,


5.      Insists that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall adopt academic standards and a statewide assessment system as required by Missouri Revised Statute 160.526 of the same Act, that is, as approved by the legislature,

6.      Insists that any amending of Missouri’s Learning standards must be done through a transparent public rulemaking process that allows Missouri’s people ample time and opportunity to review proposed changes and provide feedback.  Specifically, the DESE shall ensure that any amendment to the Learning Results be posted for public review and comment for at least 60 days.  Any comments received during this notice period shall be made public prior to final adoption of any changes.

7.      Calls on the Governor and the Missouri State Board of Education to re-evaluate Missouri’s participation in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, and asks the Missouri State Legislature to discontinue funding programs in association with Common Core State Standards Initiative/Missouri’s Core and any other alliance that promotes standards and assessments aligned to them until such re-evaluation can be completed. 

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution shall be delivered to the Governor and the State Legislature for executive and legislative action.
This resolution was adopted by the Board of Education
School District of East Newton, R-6.

East Newton
22808 East Highway 86
Granby, Missouri  64844


You can find the resolution (that first appeared at Missouri Coalition Against Common Core) to take to your school board and it can be adapted to your particular state.  Push back against the elites who have devised educational reforms without taxpayer and legislative approval or knowledge.

Thank the East Newton School Board for being the first school district in Missouri to question the Common Core and following Missouri statutes.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Parent Arrested at Common Core Meeting

Common Core is blowing up.  What are school officials so scared of?  Parents wanting to know specifically on what Common Core means may put them in danger of being hauled out and arrested.

From a Maryland Board of Education meeting on Common Core:







Here's more on the arrest from The Blaze:

“Don’t stand for this,” the father said as he was dragged out. “You are sitting here like cattle! Is this America?”


(Robert) Small also urged other parents to demand answers on Common Core and the curriculum being used to educate their children.


As the Baltimore Sun reports, the officer then “pushed Small and then escorted him into the hall, handcuffed him and had him sit on the curb in front of the school.”


Small was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer and faces a $2,500 fine and up to 10 years in prison. He was also charged with disturbing a school operation, which carries an additional $2,500 and up to six months in jail.

The meetings were Delphi technique similar to what DESE held in Missouri earlier this year.  Remember the article about the Lindbergh meeting where there were many Robert Smalls?   Small is correct: Don't sit like cattle and let them take your kids and your state's right to develop/direct education. 

Is this America anymore?



I was at the meeting standing along the side of the gymnasium with a clear view of the entire proceedings.  Mr. Small never gave any indication, either verbal or by physical movement, that he intended to push the officer.  Had he done as alleged, it would have occurred prior to the officer properly identifying himself as a police officer.  I will gladly testify in court to this fact.
Under Maryland law, an person is guilty of assault in the second degree if he/she is found to have caused “physical injury” to another person. Physical injury means impairment of physical condition, including minor injuries.  The video of this on YouTube clearly shows Mr. Small repeatedly backing down from the officer while talking.  The officer clearly has no physical injury from this encounter.
My observation was that this meeting was simply a PR stunt by BCPS so that they could say they held meetings, yet they failed to address any questions of substance from those in attendance.  They accepted written questions only yet Dr. Dance hand-picked those which were easily answered with canned responses.  Multiple times parents called out asking him to answer all questions.  Dr. Dance ignored these requests.  People became afraid to speak out with questions or comments for fear they too would be met with an unwarranted police response.
- See more at: http://discussions.baltimoresun.com/20/balnews/bs-md-co-common-core-arrest-20130920/10#sthash.LqZ59jYZ.dpuf


I was at the meeting standing along the side of the gymnasium with a clear view of the entire proceedings.  Mr. Small never gave any indication, either verbal or by physical movement, that he intended to push the officer.  Had he done as alleged, it would have occurred prior to the officer properly identifying himself as a police officer.  I will gladly testify in court to this fact.
Under Maryland law, an person is guilty of assault in the second degree if he/she is found to have caused “physical injury” to another person. Physical injury means impairment of physical condition, including minor injuries.  The video of this on YouTube clearly shows Mr. Small repeatedly backing down from the officer while talking.  The officer clearly has no physical injury from this encounter.
My observation was that this meeting was simply a PR stunt by BCPS so that they could say they held meetings, yet they failed to address any questions of substance from those in attendance.  They accepted written questions only yet Dr. Dance hand-picked those which were easily answered with canned responses.  Multiple times parents called out asking him to answer all questions.  Dr. Dance ignored these requests.  People became afraid to speak out with questions or comments for fear they too would be met with an unwarranted police response.
- See more at: http://discussions.baltimoresun.com/20/balnews/bs-md-co-common-core-arrest-20130920/10#sthash.LqZ59jYZ.dpuf



Common Core Web Vote. Should Governor Scott Issue Executive Order to Address Controversy?

Is this the beginning of the end of this trio's blueprint for education?


From the Miami Herald and Gov. Rick Scott considering executive action to address Common Core controversy:


Florida Gov. Rick Scott is considering an executive order to address growing controversy over the Common Core State Standards.

Scott provided few details Wednesday, but hinted that the order would involve the new tests aligned to the education standards.

Florida was planning to use national exams created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. But Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford have said Florida should develop its own plan for testing. 

“PARCC is too expensive and it takes too long,” Scott said. “So I’m looking at a variety of things, whether it’s an executive order, some administrative and some legislative, to try to fix that.”

Scott also said he would try to address what he called “too much federal involvement” — an overture to tea party groups who consider the new benchmarks and tests an example of federal overreach.

Read more here.  You may also register your vote.


It's too bad there the governor isn't considering an outright ban on further implementation of the standards.


Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/18/3635556/gov-rick-scott-considering-executive.html#storylink=cpy
Here are the current results as of 1:38 PM EST (9.20.13):

WEB VOTE Gov. Rick Scott first backed Common Core education standards, approved by 45 states including Florida, but now says he might use an executive order to change course. Is he right?
Yes 192
57%
No 142
43%
Total Votes:  334

Your vote has been counted, thank you for voting. 
Jeb Bush is NOT happy:
Bush, who has been a national advocate for the standards, confronted criticism of Common Core during an appearance in Washington, blasting it as “purely political.”

“If you’re comfortable with mediocrity, fine,” Bush said. “I’m not.”

He appeared at the National Press Club in support of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who decried a U.S. Department of Justice threat against his state’s school voucher program.

Bush’s comments came as backlash to the Common Core standards has swelled, putting him in an awkward spot as a number of Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio included, have joined the opposition.

Bush did not mask frustration Wednesday, saying higher standards need to be embraced.

“There are a lot of people that believe that somehow this is a national takeover of what is the domain of local and state governments ...” he said. “But in fact these are 45 states that have voluntarily come together to create fewer, higher, deeper standards that, when you benchmark them to the best of the world, they are world class. I’m for that. I’m not for the politics of education. I tire from the politics of education.”

He went on: “The fight about Common Core is political. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have huge swaths of the next generation of Americans that can’t calculate math. They can’t read. Their expectations in their own lives are way too low. And we’re not going to be able to sustain this extraordinarily exceptional country unless we challenge every basic assumption on how we do things.

“There is a lot of heat right now,” he added. “But the simple fact is, no one can defend the lower standards that we have across this country.” 

How many fallacies can you spot in Jeb Bush's rhetoric?  This not so much political as it is a pushback on elites directing/developing public education.  This new talking point of the CCSS fight being political is nonsense.  

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/18/3635556/gov-rick-scott-considering-executive.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/18/3635556/gov-rick-scott-considering-executive.html#storylink=cpy

Common Core Proponent Thinks Changing the Name of the Standards will Cease Dissent?

Huppenthal explains Common Core 


You just can't make this up.  A Common Core proponent thinks if the name of common core standards is changed the concern about the adoption and implementation of the standards will dissipate.  Just because CCSS is renamed "Your state's name here Learning Standards" doesn't mean the standards are any different than the copyrighted CCSS.  It also doesn't take away that CCSS' adoption and implementation created:
  • loss of local control
  • legislative run around
  • enormous unfunded cost for computer hardware and infrastructure
  • data sets to gather individual student data 
From azcentral.com and Common Core flak may spur changes:


Schools chief: Keep standards, ditch name


Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction wants to take the politics out of the Arizona Common Core Standards without loosening any requirements of the state’s tough new academic program.

On Tuesday, John Huppenthal said the term “Common Core” has become so politically charged it has become nearly impossible to explain the state’s new academic standards to parents and voters.

So, he will ask the State Board of Education to approve a name change, replacing Common Core with “Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.” He also wants the state to withdraw from a national coalition that developed the standards but has since become a political lightning rod for conservatives.

Huppenthal emphasized that nothing would change in Arizona classrooms. Teachers will stick with the new Common Core lessons rolled out at the start of this school year, and students will still take an annual assessment to measure what they have learned, he said.

and more here....

Michelle Udall, a Common Core supporter and Mesa Public Schools governing board member, said that she frequently encounters Common Core opponents and contends that the “vast majority” of critics are misinformed.

She said she was not sure whether a name change would resolve the issue.

“If we keep the same standards, change the name and that makes people happier, I guess that is OK,” Udall said. “It seems to border on the absurd to do that, but it’s fine if it makes the standards more acceptable.”

Huppenthal and his staff say the need to make the change goes beyond politics. They say it has become “nearly impossible” to talk about academics and the needs of schoolchildren without anti-Common Core sentiment muddying issues.

So the answer to anti-Common Core sentiment is to change the name but keep the standards.  By renaming them it takes away the "political nature" of Common Core.  Udall hints that this borders on the absurd and she is correct.  Changing the packaging but keeping the same product does nothing to change the fact the standards are not based on best educational practices, field tested, nor have the proponents offered any research/data to back up their claims on their excellence.  It has less to do with politically charged rhetoric as it does with standards and assessments being pushed through without legislative approval/vote and no research/data to prove their effectiveness.  I would suggest the "anti-Common Core sentiment" won't disappear with a mere name change as the facts of the adoption and implementation remain the same.

The article states:


So many opponents mistakenly believe that Common Core will give the government license to collect personal data about students’ families that Huppenthal’s staff members have started carrying fact sheets that allow them to accurately respond.

I've looked and can't find Huppenthal's fact sheet but only references to it.  From an earlier az.central article Defending new school standards:

Wesley Harris of Moon Valley, on Monday filed a petition with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office to create a political-action committee called We the People AZ Against the Common Core.

He said the group has the same members as one that is working to repeal Medicaid expansion in Arizona. Its goal is to get financial support for a ballot initiative to repeal the Common Core.

Harris said he has read the standards and believes they will reduce the quality of public education in Arizona.

“I’ve read the standards, and they are anything but,” he said. He called Huppenthal’s explanation of the changes to Arizona education “bold-faced lies and facts that aren’t facts.”

It would be interesting to see what exactly these CCSS proponents' fact sheets contain and the research and data behind their facts.  I just can't figure out how changing the name will make those who understand what common core is, what it costs, how it circumvented the legislature and the data retrieval will pacify the taxpayers who have concerns about these issues. 

Are you somewhat insulted at Huppenthal's suggestion of:

John Huppenthal said the term “Common Core” has become so politically charged it has become nearly impossible to explain the state’s new academic standards to parents and voters.

So, he will ask the State Board of Education to approve a name change, replacing Common Core with “Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.”

Does he really think that repackaging the standards with a different name make them more palatable or legal?
  





Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Common Core is a Taboo Subject for this School Board. Fight Back. "Take Back Our Schools"

Paris RII MO School District refuses to talk Common Core.  Why?  Where can residents go to get answers?


The Missouri Coalition Against Common Core is sponsoring three state-wide meetings about Common Core in October.  Conferences will be held October 5 in Kansas City, October 20 (Sunday) in St. Louis and October 26 in Springfield.  Registration information can be found here.  The theme is "Take Back Our Schools".  Read the following letters below and you will understand why you need to attend the conferences and learn how to reclaim power from tone-deaf school boards and superintendents.

The following is from a 9-12 group in Monroe County, Missouri and a request for a meeting regarding common core with the school board and superintendent:




To:   Superintendent Johnson, and Board Members of Paris RII Schools
From:  9-12 We the People of Monroe Co. Mo.
Subject:  Common Core Content Standards

We are requesting a special session, or meeting, regarding Common Core Content Standards to be held before November 2013.  Three minutes is not nearly enough time to express our concerns of these standards.   We would appreciate an opportunity to present facts concerning this program and have an open discussion concerning how adopting these standards will impact our students in Paris RII.

We also are asking that parents, teachers and the public be invited to this special meeting. We feel the taxpayers and parents have been taken out of the decisions in adopting this new teaching system.  No vote was taken by congress or the public.
Here are just some of our questions:
1.        Have you seen an analysis of the differences between the CC standards and standards previously guiding education in out state and or our district?
2.        Did you ask for data that validate the claims of CC proponents?
3.        What consequences are there for a school district that chooses not to adopt/implement CC?
4.        Can our district give alternative tests and still be rated highly by the state Dept. of Education?
5.        What options will we have two+years after the first few assessments are done, and our scores are still low, to change the standards or tests?
6.        Has anyone done a life-cycle cost analysis for the technology necessary to comply with CC assessments?
7.        Is the district able to fund this with current revenue?
8.        Will the district comply with future DESE requests to collect Personally Identifiable Individual data on students?
9.        Do you plan to let parents know before they begin collecting any new data points?  Can parents opt out?

Do these questions sound reasonable to you? The taxpayers want to understand the process and ramifications of the Common Core adoption and implementation. After all, taxpayer dollars and children are being used in this educational reform.

Here is the school board's response to the meeting request:







                       PARIS   R-II 
                                SCHOOL   DISTRICT                
             
740 CLEVELAND     STREET     PARIS,    MISSOURI     65275








Mrs. Taxpayer (name redacted)

(Address) (address redacted)

Paris, MO




Dear Mrs. Taxpayer,



First, I want to thank you for taking time out of your schedule to address the School Board. While we appreciate your concern regarding the Common Core State Standards and the desire to hold a meeting regarding them, on the behalf of the Board we respectfully decline.

Again, thank you for your concern.



Sincerely,





Chris Johnson

Superintendent





Building The Foundation For A Positive Future


Come to the Missouri conferences.  Learn how to fight the arrogance of elected officials who refuse to meet with taxpayers requesting answers to valid educational concerns.  Learn the proper role of superintendents.  They work for the school boards.  The school boards employ superintendents and school board members should welcome to opportunity to speak to their constituents about educational decisions affecting their wallets and children.

******************************************

Announcing Three Regional Conferences on
Common Core Standards
and Student Data Collection

For those who want to learn more about Common Core, student data collection and what they can do to reclaim local authority over education.
New Dates and Locations!
Kansas City - Saturday October 5, 2013  North Kansas City Community Center 1-6:00*
St. Louis - Sunday October 20, 2013  Wildwood Hotel 1-6:00*
Springfield - Saturday October 26, 2013  University Plaza Hotel  9-2:00*

  •  The History of Common Core Standards – How Did We Get Here?
  • High Quality Standards For Everyone? Not so much. What about special needs kids? How could
  •  CC harm early learners?
  • Testing Testing Testing
  • Data Collection – The government wants to know everything about your children. How can you protect their privacy?
  • What are your rights according to Missouri state law? How can you begin to assert those rights?
  • What is happening at the federal level when it comes to Common Core, Data Collection and state’s rights to control education
  • The future of education in Missouri – a common sense approach based on local assertion of rights already granted by our constitution and legislature.

There will be break out sessions for various interest groups to network with other grassroots activists.

School Board Members – Know your rights as a School Board member. Compare experiences and network with other board members who are trying to get their district out of the public/private system of common standards.

Grassroots Activists – For parents, taxpayers, teachers, legislators. We’ll talk about everything in our activist kit, answer questions and get you networking.

Non-Public Schools
(Catholic/Private/Home Schools) – Whether or not CC is in or coming to your school, you need to know what to watch for and how to keep the quality education you are paying for or providing.

Learn more and receive your Grassroots Action Kit with everything you need to inform people in your district about Common Core and data collection.

Don't wait for government to hand you back control.
 Take back the control that has been yours all along.
* (These times are accurate. Times on Eventbrite might not match due to a service limitation.)
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